Fallen from Grace
by purple lolly
Summary: A songfic based on the scenario where Alexander's army rebel against their leader.The song is Grace by Within Temptation don’t own and a lot of speech from the movie which I don’t own either but if I did oowee think of the possibilities.


Alexander was silent deep in thought. He looked at his army each face showed the strain of the campaign.

They had followed him through the harshest weather across the harshest terrain and fought with the harshest of enemies but at the banks of the Hyphasis River the army ground to a halt and refused to go any further.

_Cold are the bones of thy soldiers.  
Longing for home, their little paradise._

_Don't feel redemption on their side._

Fallen from grace, help me rise again.  
Fallen from grace, help me through.

Alexander began to speak "Of course you have fears, we all have fears because no one has ever gone this far before, and now we are weeks from the encircling ocean our route home. We'll build a fleet of ships and sail all the way back down the Nile to Egypt and from Alexandria we shall be home in weeks to be reunited with our loved ones, to share our great treasures and tales of Asia and enjoy our imperishable glory till the end of time."

Along time ago when the campaign was still young this speech would have been met with a cheer, instead it was met with a horrible silence.

_Fallen from grace, help me rise again.  
Fallen from grace._

"What silence?" he asked looking at each man

He pointed to a solider "Peccesta, a hero where are these great amazons of myth who dare to fight and kill men," he held out his arms "Where have they gone."

He turned to another solider "You, Meleager who are these tribes ahead compared to those we've vanquished?"

He turned to see Hysimacnus and Antigonus who looked at the ground. Alexander shook his head disappointed.

"You break my heart you men, afraid."

Suddenly people began to call for Craterous to come forward. The crowd parted to let him through where he stopped in front of the king, he looked uncomfortable.

"My king," he said before pausing to think about his next line "I don't like no bellying I won't tolerate it in any of my units." He paused again "but I've lost many a man, young ones never been with a woman, some died of disease some were butchered on the banks of the Oxus. 40, 000 I came over with eight years ago," Craterous continued "We matched after you more than 10, 000 miles in rain and sun, we fought for you, some 50 battles and now when I look around how many of those faces do I see and now you want us to fight more of these crazy monkey tribes east of here, we hear talk of thousands of elephant monsters, cross a hundred more rivers."

"Craterous," Alexander said "Good Craterous, who better than you to speak most noble of men. But you know there's no part of me without a scar or bone broken I've shared every hardship with all of you."

"Aye you have my king," Craterous agreed "And we love you for it."

A small cheer went up from the rest of the army.

"But by Zeus too many have died," he held out his hand to Alexander "You have no children Alexander and we're just humble men, we seek no disturbance with the gods. All we wish is to see our children, wives and grandchildren one last time before we join our brothers in that dark house they called Hades."

_Feel these hands, the pressure, the cold, tremble._

Alexander turned his back and bowed his head for a moment while Craterous' words sunk in.

"Yes, you are right Craterous," he said turning back around "I have been negligent, I should have sent you veterans home sooner and I will. The first of you shall be the silver shield, than every man who's severed seven years with full pensions from our treasury."

The army began to cheer

"You'll be respected, rich, loved," Alexander continued "You'll be treated by wives and children as heroes for the rest of your lives and enjoy a peaceful death."

He turned back to addressing Craterous his mood changed.

"But your dream Craterous, your simplicity long ended when you took Persian mistress and children and you thickened your holdings with plunder and jewels, because you've fallen in love with all things in life that destroy men. For you know as well as I that as the years decline and memories stale and your great victories fade it will always be remembered you left your king in Asia for I will go on… with my Asians!"

Everyone looked horrified and pissed. The Persian who had become loyal to Alexander pushed their way through towards Alexander.

People began to jeer.

"To the jackals with you, Alexander we came for you and now you discard us."

"We'll never make it back to Macedonia."

More people began to shout "We want to go home" "we're tired of glory." "We want to see our children and wives."

Alexander began to pace like a caged animal while Hephaistion and the other companions tensed up.

"I got children I haven't even seen."

Alexander stopped pacing and pointed to the madding crowd

"I've paid for your bastard children; I've taken nothing for myself and all ask is one more month."

"SHAME!" a man cried

Hephaistion took hold of him and shoved him back "That's your King!"

Alexander took up pacing again keeping a watchful eye on his army

"What would your father say?" Cried another

"I've taken you further than my father ever dreamed!" Alexander yelled back "So go home I look to the barbarians for their courage for I go east."

With that he turned his back on his army giving them an evil look over his shoulder followed by Hephaistion, the companions and the Persians.

"He wants us all dead, so we can't speak of his crimes." Shouted someone

Alexander turned back to his army

"You said that, come forward you despicable coward and make your accusation public."

The army laughed in that I don't think so kind of way.

"Why? So you can have us killed."

"Son of Zeus!" someone laughed

"You desecrate your real father's memory."

"Or did you murder him like you murdered Cleitus."

_Hear these words.  
Feel the wounds.  
I'll never help you through._

_Cold are thy souls,  
I feel resentment  
they feel betrayed  
they hate the cold  
I don't feel redemption on their side_.

Since it was hard to see who was saying what Alexander issued a warning to all.

"Hid in this mob because I will take your life."

Suddenly a bloody animal head landed in front of Alexander, causing him to step and cry out in surprise and disgust.

In a blind rage, he dived into the mob Hephaistion and the others failed to stop him and followed him into the crowd.

He grabbed hold of the first man he sees by the front of the tunic.

"You men insult my honor, my paternity, Arrest him."

He shoves the man behind him into the waiting arms of a guard "And him and you," he said grabbing hold of another man "you called me murder; I have no such blood on my hands." He passed him back followed by two more.

No one was safe from his temper "You mock my shame for Cleitus and then say I'd harm a hair off my father's head, you'll know the pain of treason."

They were in the centre surrounded by his rebellious army. Alexander felt the filmier press of Hephaistion at his back and saw him push back anyone threatening to close in on them same for his other childhood friends.

"After all I've done for you, you swine, you cowards you traitors!" he yelled as he spun around.

He came faced to face with Craterous.

As the teller man towered above him with a look of malice on his face Alexander felt the little tremors of fear travel all over his body but his poise held.

"Come on then!" he yelled arms out wide as he turned to face the mob "where are you daggers."

_Fallen from grace, help me rise again.  
Fallen from grace._


End file.
